Compressor components having an airfoil, such as a compressor blade, are held within a rotating disk or shaft and are designed to rotate at a high rate of speed in order to compress a fluid passing through, such as air. A compressor typically comprises a plurality of stages, or rotating disks of blades, of diminishing diameter that raise the pressure and temperature, of the working fluid at each stage to a pre-determined level at the compressor exit.
Axial compressors having multiple stages are commonly used in gas turbine engines for increasing the pressure and temperature of air to a pre-determined level at which point fuel can be mixed with the air and the mixture ignited. The hot combustion gases then pass through a turbine to provide either a propulsive output or mechanical output.
Compressor components, such as blades and vanes, are located near an inlet of the engine, and as such, are exposed to impact by foreign objects, dirt, and other debris, that can lead to erosion of the airfoil, especially along its leading edge. Significant erosion of this leading edge can result in that location being a life-limiting factor for the blade. Furthermore, as a blade rotates, it will have a series of vibratory modes that can cause high stress regions depending on the blade geometry. Where high stress regions coincide with other life-limiting factors, such as leading edge erosion, fatigue and failure of the blade can occur.